House Passes Pipeline Permitting Legislation

A bill passed in the House Thursday to speed federal review of natural gas pipelines.(Shannon Ramos)

The House passed a bill to speed federal review of oil and natural gas pipelines with a vote of 252-165 on Thursday.

The legislation, which was sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., would set an upper-limit of 12-months for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve or reject pipeline projects.

Pompeo applauded the passage of the bill, saying: "Despite all the gridlock in Washington, the House has found a real bipartisan solution to ensure that natural gas energy is more affordable for Americans. This bill ensures that America's revolution in energy production reaches more households and factories across the country, keeping homes warm, factories humming, and utility bills low, all the while cutting needless red tape."

"These irresponsible measures are part of a continuing campaign by House Republicans to systematically dismantle long-time, sensible safety protections the American people depend on, and to deliberately let the oil and gas industry write its own rules. Even those who support more oil and gas drilling should be appalled," David Goldston, director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement.

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that the bill which passed would apply to cross-border pipelines.